Information Literacy and the Use of Online Government Resources: A Multidisciplinary Perspective

Since the mid-1990’s the amount of government information available online has increased dramatically, allowing more access to the public. For academic libraries that are not designated as government depositories, free online access provides greater opportunities to utilize government resources in information literacy instruction. While the natural tendency is to think government information supports only the political science curriculum, the use of government resources is also necessary to conduct policy analysis in different disciplines. One example of this is in social work, where the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) mandates the instruction of social work policy in accredited programs. Using the example of a policy analysis assignment from the Worden School of Social Service at Our Lady of the Lake University of San Antonio, this presentation provides suggested resources and strategies in the instruction of government resources to non-political science students conducting policy analysis. Participants will learn to identify and access basic appropriate legislative and executive branch resources as well as strategies for using legislative materials to enhance students’ critical thinking skills